Winter Driving
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I'll be driving the RX-8 and the G35 later this week (haven't driven either yet). I LOVED the S2000 that I drove earlier this week. After hearing/seeing (thanks ProV1) the posts here, I think I can make a go of it with the snow tires. I saw all your posts - the whole Audi thing...that what I have now...I want a sports car. I love my A6 - but it just ain't me. I figure while that car is still worth anything, I'm going to unload it...and get me something nice (ie: S2000). I know the Honda won't compare to the quattro in the winter, but as long as it does the job, I'll be happy. (I see the pics of that S2K in the snow...I wonder, did it actually make it out of the lot?? ;-))
Do you folks driving in the winter have the hardtop? Is it worth it?? ($3200 installed) Thanks again for all the posts!
Do you folks driving in the winter have the hardtop? Is it worth it?? ($3200 installed) Thanks again for all the posts!
Joined: Mar 2001
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Originally Posted by byunwong,May 24 2005, 11:03 PM
(I see the pics of that S2K in the snow...I wonder, did it actually make it out of the lot?? ;-))
Do you folks driving in the winter have the hardtop? Is it worth it?? ($3200 installed) Thanks again for all the posts!
Do you folks driving in the winter have the hardtop? Is it worth it?? ($3200 installed) Thanks again for all the posts!
If my photo album was fully functional, I'd show ya real snow. And yes, with snow tires, you can drive in AND out of such a parking lot. I've done it with my front grill packed full of snow. That's how deep it was.The HT is a nice touch but not really necessary. Several guys here drive theirs all winter without. The heater in this car is like a blast furnace and the block heater works very well, too.
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From: Westerville OH
get snow tires (I also recommend the Blizzak LM22s) and you will be fine. Like viper said, the heater is like a volcano. Hardtop is not required.
Also, when driving in the snow, imagine there is an egg between your foot and the pedal. Press too hard, too fast and it will break. Same for the brakes. Just be smart and anticipate the moron in the SUV doing something stupid.
Also, when driving in the snow, imagine there is an egg between your foot and the pedal. Press too hard, too fast and it will break. Same for the brakes. Just be smart and anticipate the moron in the SUV doing something stupid.
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From: Westerville OH
Originally Posted by byunwong,May 24 2005, 12:45 PM
this will save me the 3.2k on the hardtop.
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From: Cleveland, OH
Originally Posted by xviper,May 24 2005, 07:21 PM
Light weight RWD cars for winter? I'll say it again .............. What do you suppose people of this nation in the snow belt did before Chrysler mass produced FWD cars for the N. American market? Did everyone just stay home when the snow fell? No, they "winterized" their cars and just kept driving. Remember MGs, Triumphs, Pintos, Vegas? You think they all stayed home when it snowed? We've had so many generations of people now who have only driven FWD cars, that they think "winter" and RWD don't mix. PUULLEASE! 
Too much power in a RWD car for winter duty? I guess you don't remember the days of the "muscle" cars like the Mustang, Charger, Cuda, Camaro, etc. All those were big engined, big HP cars and people drove those all winter. PLUS, those cars were all front heavy. At least the S2000 has perfect weight balance.
Why would you want to drive an "expensive", nice car like an S2000 through the winter? Have noticed how much Excursions, MB MLs, Hummers, 4-Runners, Land Rovers, etc cost these days. People buy them for driving in the winter around here. Oh yeah, these are the ones we see stuck in the ditches most of the time.
Come on guys! Store the damn thing because you want to keep it nice and because it's your pride and joy but don't say you can't drive the thing because it's RWD, too expensive, too nice, too light, a convertible ........... yada, yada, yada. That's just being uninformed. It's just winter and an S2000 is still a Honda.
Too much power in a RWD car for winter duty? I guess you don't remember the days of the "muscle" cars like the Mustang, Charger, Cuda, Camaro, etc. All those were big engined, big HP cars and people drove those all winter. PLUS, those cars were all front heavy. At least the S2000 has perfect weight balance.
Why would you want to drive an "expensive", nice car like an S2000 through the winter? Have noticed how much Excursions, MB MLs, Hummers, 4-Runners, Land Rovers, etc cost these days. People buy them for driving in the winter around here. Oh yeah, these are the ones we see stuck in the ditches most of the time.
Come on guys! Store the damn thing because you want to keep it nice and because it's your pride and joy but don't say you can't drive the thing because it's RWD, too expensive, too nice, too light, a convertible ........... yada, yada, yada. That's just being uninformed. It's just winter and an S2000 is still a Honda.
. I agree 100%. I have driven many cars from a MKIV Supra, Mustang and many RWD German cars through some tough winter weather and they were a blast. I do recommend winterizing as mentioned above. There is a reason you can't get a top-end Mercedes, Lexus, BMW with FWD and they love the snow. My Pops drives a Merc. CLK (RWD) and does not have a single complaint through our crappy winters. I do store my S, because I have a paid-off beater and want to keep it perfect for a while, not because I am afraid to jock it through a winter!
to all the owners who rock thier S through 4 seasons.
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From: San Diego
Originally Posted by xviper,May 24 2005, 09:21 PM
OK, I can't stand it anymore. 
Just came out of my 5th winter of daily driving this car through some of the worst snow/ice conditions imaginable for an urban environment. I've never gotten stuck and the only rust I've got is from the damn holes I drilled into the car myself. I've never wished I had an AWD. In fact, guys around here think their AWDs are so invincible, they don't even bother putting on snow tires or even all season radials. They think they can get by with their fancy Dan summer performance tires. You should see the dipshit looks on their faces when I outdrag them across a snow/ice/slush filled intersection. They just sit there spinning all 4 tires and going sideways. And don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. I owned one the highest performance AWD sports cars there was - TT Stealth. Drove it one winter with the stock tires. What a useless POS. Put aggressive snow tires on it and it was like on rails.
Chaz, LM-22s are considered "performance" snow tires. A couple of guys here have been running them for several winters. They get by but they do realize the limitations of those tires. To really endure a true winter, you need the more aggressive WS-50 series. With these, you'd think you had gravel under your tires.
Why buy a convertible? Not everyone who owns an S2000 wanted a convertible. We just wanted an S2000. It just happened to be a convertible and we bought it anyway. It's a free country, right?
Rock chips? That's what 3M film is for. This is just part of "winterizing" an S2000. So is frequent washing. That's simply taking responsibility for what you do with the car. Why would anyone expect to do nothing different to their high performance sports cars when winter comes?
Light weight RWD cars for winter? I'll say it again .............. What do you suppose people of this nation in the snow belt did before Chrysler mass produced FWD cars for the N. American market? Did everyone just stay home when the snow fell? No, they "winterized" their cars and just kept driving. Remember MGs, Triumphs, Pintos, Vegas? You think they all stayed home when it snowed? We've had so many generations of people now who have only driven FWD cars, that they think "winter" and RWD don't mix. PUULLEASE!
Too much power in a RWD car for winter duty? I guess you don't remember the days of the "muscle" cars like the Mustang, Charger, Cuda, Camaro, etc. All those were big engined, big HP cars and people drove those all winter. PLUS, those cars were all front heavy. At least the S2000 has perfect weight balance.
Why would you want to drive an "expensive", nice car like an S2000 through the winter? Have noticed how much Excursions, MB MLs, Hummers, 4-Runners, Land Rovers, etc cost these days. People buy them for driving in the winter around here. Oh yeah, these are the ones we see stuck in the ditches most of the time.
Come on guys! Store the damn thing because you want to keep it nice and because it's your pride and joy but don't say you can't drive the thing because it's RWD, too expensive, too nice, too light, a convertible ........... yada, yada, yada. That's just being uninformed. It's just winter and an S2000 is still a Honda.
Go here to see us drag racing and playing in the snow:
http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=156779
(Time to take my meds. )
Just came out of my 5th winter of daily driving this car through some of the worst snow/ice conditions imaginable for an urban environment. I've never gotten stuck and the only rust I've got is from the damn holes I drilled into the car myself. I've never wished I had an AWD. In fact, guys around here think their AWDs are so invincible, they don't even bother putting on snow tires or even all season radials. They think they can get by with their fancy Dan summer performance tires. You should see the dipshit looks on their faces when I outdrag them across a snow/ice/slush filled intersection. They just sit there spinning all 4 tires and going sideways. And don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. I owned one the highest performance AWD sports cars there was - TT Stealth. Drove it one winter with the stock tires. What a useless POS. Put aggressive snow tires on it and it was like on rails.
Chaz, LM-22s are considered "performance" snow tires. A couple of guys here have been running them for several winters. They get by but they do realize the limitations of those tires. To really endure a true winter, you need the more aggressive WS-50 series. With these, you'd think you had gravel under your tires.
Why buy a convertible? Not everyone who owns an S2000 wanted a convertible. We just wanted an S2000. It just happened to be a convertible and we bought it anyway. It's a free country, right?
Rock chips? That's what 3M film is for. This is just part of "winterizing" an S2000. So is frequent washing. That's simply taking responsibility for what you do with the car. Why would anyone expect to do nothing different to their high performance sports cars when winter comes?
Light weight RWD cars for winter? I'll say it again .............. What do you suppose people of this nation in the snow belt did before Chrysler mass produced FWD cars for the N. American market? Did everyone just stay home when the snow fell? No, they "winterized" their cars and just kept driving. Remember MGs, Triumphs, Pintos, Vegas? You think they all stayed home when it snowed? We've had so many generations of people now who have only driven FWD cars, that they think "winter" and RWD don't mix. PUULLEASE!
Too much power in a RWD car for winter duty? I guess you don't remember the days of the "muscle" cars like the Mustang, Charger, Cuda, Camaro, etc. All those were big engined, big HP cars and people drove those all winter. PLUS, those cars were all front heavy. At least the S2000 has perfect weight balance.
Why would you want to drive an "expensive", nice car like an S2000 through the winter? Have noticed how much Excursions, MB MLs, Hummers, 4-Runners, Land Rovers, etc cost these days. People buy them for driving in the winter around here. Oh yeah, these are the ones we see stuck in the ditches most of the time.
Come on guys! Store the damn thing because you want to keep it nice and because it's your pride and joy but don't say you can't drive the thing because it's RWD, too expensive, too nice, too light, a convertible ........... yada, yada, yada. That's just being uninformed. It's just winter and an S2000 is still a Honda.
Go here to see us drag racing and playing in the snow:
http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=156779
(Time to take my meds.
)
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Originally Posted by Scott Evil,May 25 2005, 04:41 AM
Check out hardtopguy.com for your car and hardtop if you decide to get one. They are located in North Olmstead.
